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Occult Locations

Source Occult Adventures pg. 226
When it comes to occult adventures, locations themselves can be living things, serving as active participants in paranormal stories.

Loci Spirits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 226
Loci spirits form when excess psychic energy becomes saturated with powerful positive emotional resonances. Loci spirits typically arise in places with connections to previous miracles, benevolent guardian spirits, or good-aligned deities. Loci spirits infuse a specific area; their psychic energy heightens the positive emotions experienced there to create a feeling of peace and protection. A loci spirit also manifests a unique ceremonial power linked specifically to the emotional energy that birthed the spirit. Except in rare circumstances, a given area can house at most one loci spirit.

Loci Spirit Rules

Source Occult Adventures pg. 226
The emanating feelings of peace and protective warmth make a loci spirit obvious to those within its area. A loci spirit is always LG, NG, or CG in alignment and has the aura of a good outsider for the purposes of detect good and similar magic.

A loci spirit can infuse an area with a maximum radius of 5 feet × the spirit’s CR, but the actual area is usually limited by the size and shape of the area tied to the spirit’s origin.

Permanent Effects: A loci spirit generates at least one of the three following permanent effects within the area it inhabits. A loci spirit may possess an additional ongoing permanent effect, and each effect beyond the first increases the loci spirit’s CR by 1.

Energized: The DC to resist positive channeled energy within the loci spirit’s area gains a +4 sacred bonus, and the DC to resist negative energy is reduced by 4. Spell resistance does not apply to this effect.

Protective: The loci spirit’s area is warded by a magic circle against evil effect.

Sacred: Every undead creature entering the area of a loci spirit takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws.

In addition to the permanent effect, each loci spirit has a ceremonial effect that another creature can activate by performing a specific ceremonial activity. Knowledge of the appropriate ceremony to activate a loci spirit’s ceremonial effect is rare and can be a reward in its own right, but the GM can allow a creature to attempt a Knowledge (planes) or Knowledge (religion) check, as appropriate, with a DC equal to 20 + the loci spirit’s CR to gain clues about or even fully determine the details of the ceremony.

The ceremony to manifest a loci spirit’s ceremonial effect requires the celebrant to perform each of the requisite skill checks detailed in the loci spirit’s stat block. When the celebrant successfully completes the ceremony, the loci spirit immediately manifests its effect.

Manifestation Type: Each loci spirit’s ceremonial effect has one of the following manifestation types.

Singular: The effect targets or affects only the celebrant.

Coterie: The effect targets all creatures in the loci spirit’s area or is potentially useful to creatures other than the celebrant (for instance, creating something that anyone could use would be a coterie manifestation).

Boon: The effect targets all creatures in the loci spirit’s area with a boon allowing affected characters to use the effect within the next 24 hours as an immediate action. A creature can benefit from only one boon from a loci spirit at a time.

After a loci spirit manifests its ceremonial effect, or after a failed ceremony, the spirit can’t manifest the effect again for another 24 hours.

Corrupting a Loci Spirit

Source Occult Adventures pg. 227
Loci spirits can’t be damaged conventionally, but are susceptible to corruption if certain actions occur within their areas. Each loci spirit has a number of hit points equal to twice its CR, which it uses to resist corruption. Certain particularly vile acts reduce a loci spirit’s hit points and bring it closer to corruption, while certain acts of good can restore hit points and protect the loci spirit from corruption.

If a loci spirit is reduced to 0 hit points, it becomes corrupted; thereafter, it acts as a haunt of the same CR and loses any loci spirit permanent effects. Once a loci spirit has been corrupted, its effects instead manifest as mind-affecting fear effects. These new effects should have a similar power level to that of the ceremonial effect the loci spirit previously manifested. A corrupted loci spirit has the aura of an evil outsider for the purposes of detect evil and similar effects. Unlike a haunt, a corrupted loci spirit can’t take the tricked by hide from undead weakness, but it can take most other haunt modifiers as long as its CR remains the same. The haunt has the same number of hit points as the loci spirit originally did; these are separate from its loci spirit hit points, which remain at 0 until the loci spirit is purified.

Corrupted loci spirits can be neutralized or destroyed in the same fashion as haunts. While a corrupted loci spirit is inactive because of being neutralized, characters can use effects that restore a loci spirit’s hit points to attempt to purify it (see the table in the previous column). For the purpose of purification, increasing the loci spirit’s hit points does not restore the haunt’s hit points. If a character manages to restore the full hit points of the uncorrupted loci spirit, the character has purged the corruption entirely, and the loci spirit returns to its former benevolence. This could potentially occur over the course of multiple encounters with the corrupted spirit. Until then, the haunt continues to reset.

Act	Effect
Committing a violent act	Reduces hit points by 1
Committing murder	Reduces hit points by 1 for every 3 Hit Dice of the victim (minimum 1 hit point)
Casting animate dead	Reduces hit points by 1 per undead created
Casting create undead or create greater undead	Reduces hit points by 1 per level of spell cas
Summoning an evil outsider	Reduces hit points by 1 per evil outsider summoned
Calling an evil outsider	Reduces hit points by 1 per level of spell cast
Casting desecrate	Reduces hit points by 2
Casting unhallow	Reduces hit points by 4
Successfully performing the loci spirit’s ceremony	Restores 2 hit points
Casting consecrate	Restores 2 hit points (maximum once per day)
Casting hallow	Restores 4 hit points

Elements of a Loci Spirit

Source Occult Adventures pg. 227
Loci spirits are presented in the following format.

Loci Spirit Name: The loci spirit’s name is followed by its CR.

XP: This is the amount of XP to award the PCs for surviving the loci spirit’s corrupted form, as determined by the spirit’s CR. At the GM’s discretion, characters who intentionally corrupt a loci spirit in pursuit of their goals may receive this amount of XP for doing so.

Alignment, Permanent Effects, Manifestation Type, and Area: This line gives the loci spirit’s alignment, its permanent effects and manifestation type, and the dimensions of the area it infuses (up to 5 feet per caster level).

Caster Level: This is the loci spirit’s effective caster level for the purposes of dispelling any ongoing effects with dispel magic, and for determining the results of spell effects it creates.

hp: This lists the loci spirit’s effective hit points for the purposes of resolving corruption. A loci spirit’s number of hit points is equal to twice the spirit’s CR.

Weakness: Any weaknesses the loci spirit has, such as being susceptible to corruption or hard to heal, are listed here.

Ceremony: These are the skill checks that must be performed in order for the loci spirit to manifest its ceremonial effect.

Effect: This entry details the ceremonial effect of the loci spirit, and includes a description of how the loci spirit manifests.

Corruption Effect: This entry gives a brief description of what the loci spirit’s effects become if it is corrupted.

Creating a Loci Spirit

Source Occult Adventures pg. 228
To make your own loci spirit like the examples below, follow these steps.

Step 1—Determine Base CR: A loci spirit’s base CR is equal to 1 + the level of the spell it duplicates.

Step 2—Determine Actual CR: Select the elements you want the loci spirit to have and add up the adjustments to its CR to arrive at the loci spirit’s final CR (see Table 6–1: CR Modifiers for Loci Spirits).

Step 3—Determine Caster Level: A loci spirit’s caster level is equal to its CR.

Step 4—Determine Hit Points: A loci spirit’s hit points are equal to twice its CR.

Step 5—Determine Ceremony DC: The ceremony check DC is equal to 20 + the loci spirit’s CR.

Step 6—Save DCs: If a loci spirit’s ceremonial effect allows a saving throw to resist or negate the effect, the save DC is equal to 10 + the level of the spell + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to cast that level of spell. Normally, the ceremonial effect is harmless and thus applies only if a creature voluntarily wishes to resist or negate the effect.

Step 7—Determine Corruption Effect, Attack, and Save DCs: A corrupted loci spirit manifests a mind-affecting fear effect with the same spell level as its unique effect. A corrupted loci spirit’s attack bonus (if needed) is usually equal to its CR.

Table 6-1: CR Modifiers for Loci Spirits

Feature Type	CR Modifiers for Loci Spirits
Ceremony requires more than 1 skill check	+1 for each additional skill check
Permanent effects	+1 for each additional permanent effect beyond the first
Singular	-1
Coterie	0
Boon	+1
Hard to heal¹	-1
Susceptible to ^corruption2	-1

1 Loci spirits that are hard to heal gain only half the normal amount of hit points from effects that restore hit points.
2 Loci spirits that are susceptible to corruption lose twice the amount of hit points from corrupting actions.

Benevolent Priest CR 5

XP 1,600
NG protective coterie loci spirit (10-ft.-by-10-ft. room) Caster Level 5th hp 10; Ceremony Knowledge (religion) DC 25, Survival DC 25 Effect When the celebrant performs the appropriate offering of twigs and berries, the loci spirit manifests as a ghostly, rotund man in clerical garb bearing trays of food, which he offers to the celebrant and its allies, as the create food and water spell. Corruption Effect Create food and water becomes contagion (DC 14).

Ghostly Warriors CR 5

XP 1,600 LG sacred boon loci spirit (5-ft. radius centered on the shrine) Caster Level 5th hp 10; Ceremony Diplomacy DC 25, Perform (oratory) DC 25 Effect Invoking the ceremony with pomp and vigor rouses a cadre of ghostly figures in ancient armor that kneel before all creatures in the loci spirit’s area of effect and present their weapons, granting a boon of align weapon (each recipient’s choice of lawful or good only). Corruption Effect Align weapon becomes shatter (DC 13).

Hero's Call CR 4

XP 1,200 CG energized singular loci spirit (15-ft. radius centered on the hero’s statue) Caster Level 4th hp 8; Ceremony Knowledge (history) DC 24, Perform (oratory) DC 24 Effect The celebrant entreats the brave hero from the ancient past, recalling the hero’s great deeds and requesting some of the hero’s strength for the celebrant’s own quest. If the ceremony is successful, the hero’s statue seems to raise its sword in a salute, and the celebrant gains the benefit of a heroism spell. Corruption Effect Heroism becomes scare (DC 13).

New Haunt Rules

Source Occult Adventures pg. 228
The GameMastery Guide introduced rules for creating haunts. While haunts can be complex antagonists, they are versatile tools that are well suited to portray the drama and atmosphere of occult games. This section presents new haunt rules and clarifications on previous rules.

Table 6-2: Additional Haunt Elements

Type	CR Modifier
Belligerent (hit points equal to CR × 6 )	+3
Item-bound (bound to item; see page 228)	-1
Chained (bound to ghost; see page 229)	-1
Fast (manifests on initiative rank 20)	+2
Free-roaming (gains movement speed: fly 10 ft. [good])	+1
Increased area (double radius to 10 ft. per CR)	+1
Possessing (bound to creature; see page 228)	+1
Spiteful (caster level and save DCs increase by 2)	+1
Vaporous (AC = 10 + CR and gains incorporeal quality)	+1

Clarifying Haunts

Adjudicating the mind-affecting, fear-based effects of a haunt’s primary attack can be problematic for characters outside the haunt’s range or those immune to such effects. This can deprive some PCs of the ability to witness the haunt’s story elements and thus assist allies plagued by a haunting presence. Fortunately, a haunt’s secondary effects are less absolute. A haunt’s secondary effect should reflect its primary effect in some manner, in ways all PCs can witness. For example, a spectral vermin haunt should still manifest a visible, ghostly phantom of a scurrying, skeletal rat swarm to those immune to the effect or beyond its range, even though the haunt’s primary effect does not affect those PCs. This enables PCs to not only witness the haunt’s secondary effect so as to better interpret a haunt’s clues, but also to more easily recognize when fellow PCs are afflicted and need assistance.

Haunts created using spells with non-instantaneous durations can also create problems. If the haunts do not have the persistent quality, it is unclear whether these spells continue with their normal durations after the haunt’s surprise-round attack. To resolve this matter, consider creating haunts with durations as persistent haunts.

Holy Water

Source Occult Adventures pg. 228
While haunts are typically damaged only by applied positive energy, holy water is another potential weapon against them. A flask (1 pint) of holy water that successfully hits a haunt as a splash weapon deals 2d4 points of damage to the haunt on a direct hit, and deals 1 point of damage to haunts within 5 feet of the splash radius.

Item-Bound and Possessing Haunts

Source Occult Adventures pg. 228
Some haunts are tied to special objects or creatures. Such haunts take normal damage from positive energy, and follow the normal reset rules for haunts of their type. Dispel evil can eject a haunting presence if the spell is cast quickly; the caster must succeed at a caster level check with a DC equal to 10 + the haunt’s CR + 1 for each month that the creature or object has been possessed.

Bound haunts possess items when created, and gain mobility at the cost of having their tragic fates tied to physical objects that are more easily destroyed. These haunts spontaneously manifest at scenes of great terror, as the psychic residue of tragic events seeps into items tied to the events. Once bound to an item, an item-bound haunt uses all of the normal rules for haunts, with the radius of its effects centered on the haunted object. Some effects may have special triggers based on the item’s nature, such as haunted instruments being played or weapons being used. The haunting presence adds 5 to the break DC for its possessed item, and doubles the item’s hardness and hit points.

Malevolent spirits may similarly haunt creatures rather than items, following the subjects wherever they go and causing strange occurrences and poltergeist-like activity around the subject in revenge for a perceived trespass or involvement in the tragic events that created the haunt. While they sometimes seem beneficial to their hosts at first, such haunts inevitably seek their hosts’ destruction. Individuals possessed by such haunts must always take a standard action to retrieve stored items, unless it would normally take longer. In addition, any item the host drops lands 10 feet away in a random direction. A possessing haunt uses all normal rules for haunts, with the radius of its effects centered on the haunted subject, who takes a –2 penalty on all saving throws against the haunt’s effects. Subject to the GM’s discretion, haunted creatures may suffer tormenting dreams that cause 1 point of drain each day to an ability score appropriate for the haunt.

Chained Haunts

Source Occult Adventures pg. 229
Some haunts are intrinsically connected with incorporeal undead entities (most commonly ghosts) and manifest as displays of the associated creatures’ fractured psyches. Chained haunts can be destroyed only by bringing final rest to their connected entities. Chained haunts can be used to illustrate and emphasize a ghost’s tragic story. For example, a series of chained haunts could be spread across the site of a ruined mansion: while the linked creature—a ghost— dwells in the attic where it was murdered, a downstairs bedroom might manifest a bleeding walls haunt to emphasize the scene of a tragic loss pertinent to the ghost’s history; a demanding dead haunt might cause a trespasser to dig up a shallow grave in the garden where the ghost’s corpse is buried; and the murder weapon might roam the halls of the mansion, manifesting as a malignant weapon haunt.

Seances and Spirit Communication

Source Occult Adventures pg. 230
Some PCs may wish to establish communication with haunts that have been neutralized (reduced to 0 hit points) but not yet destroyed. Regardless of the haunts’ original powers or CRs, GMs may elect to have neutralized haunts revert to rapping spirits or possessing dead haunts during their reset periods. Likewise, GMs may elect for rejuvenating undead such as ghosts and poltergeists to assume one of these states during rejuvenation periods. While still potentially frightening or even malevolent, these haunts can potentially communicate by using a code (such as one rap for “yes” and two for “no”) in response to called out words, numbers, and letters. Those in contact with a demanding dead haunt, on the other hand, typically whisper messages in darkened seance chambers, or scribble writing at the haunt’s suggestion. In either case, such spirits are often unreliable, always cryptic, and never able to convey knowledge beyond what they knew in life.

Diplomacy, spells such as calm spirit, and comforting environments such as darkened seance cabinets can all improve a spirit’s attitude. Some characters attempting to communicate with haunts carry flat, lettered boards known as talking boards, cone-shaped spirit trumpets, or writing planchettes—small, wheeled boards that write with chalk or charcoal pencils. While these are mundane items with no inherent magic of their own, in the hands of those with properly established rapports, these tools increase the efficiency of messages received from haunts, doubling the rate of communication from two signals (raps, letters, etc.) per round to four signals per round.

Ley Lines

Source Occult Adventures pg. 232
Researchers into the occult theorize that all the worlds of the Material Plane and the planes beyond are alive. While the exact measure of life and consciousness the universe exhibits is debated, attempts to quantify this cosmic biology point toward the phenomenon of ley lines as proof. Ley lines are conduits of magical energy that traverse all known corners of creation, serving the same function as the veins and arteries of living creatures. These conduits, connecting geographical and cosmological features both great and small, grant knowledge and power to those who tap into them.

Qualities of Ley Lines

Source Occult Adventures pg. 232
A ley line carries raw magical energy along with psychic impressions and other ambient energy its absorbs from its surroundings. This causes ley lines to seed magical effects, subconscious thoughts, and other supernatural phenomena along their paths, and sometimes creates unusual supernatural effects.

Psychic impressions carried down ley lines can impact the cultural and psychological growth of peoples living along the path of a ley line. Such alignments can cause two civilizations separated by thousands of miles—or even separated by planar boundaries—to evolve along similar developmental paths. Towns built on opposite ends of a ley line may have identical (or sometimes mirrored) street plans and similar histories. Artists living near a ley line may unconsciously convey their ideas to other artists on other planes, creating instances of parallel design. When a ley line penetrates planes, it can carry influences from one plane into another, making ley lines partially responsible for the appearance of tieflings and aasimars in bloodlines that had no prior history of contact with outsiders. This effect is also responsible for some of the propagation of sorcerous power, psychic powers, and other unusual magical phenomena such as haunts and loci spirits.

Like the arteries of a circulatory system, ley lines come in many different sizes. The larger a ley line, the more capacity it has to carry magical energy. The size of a given ley line can change over time, however, and may vary at different points along its length. The size of a ley line generally impacts the strength and kinds of power that can be drawn from it by spellcasters. Ley lines have an effective caster level ranging from 1 to 20 that represents the overall strength of the ley line and determines the power of effects associated with it.

Finding Ley Lines

Source Occult Adventures pg. 232
A ley line’s natural state is as an imperceptible current of energy. Finding a ley line requires the use of a skill or spell that can detect the magical energy a ley line radiates. Detect magic can locate the presence of an accessible portion of a ley line within its area of effect and uses the ley line’s effective caster level to determine its aura’s strength as if the ley line were a magic item. True seeing reveals all accessible ley lines within its area of effect— they appear as ghostly bundles of tightly packed streams of energy. The color of a ley line is representative of its overall power level. Ley lines with a caster level of 1 are a dark violet color, while ley lines with a caster level of 20 are deep red. Ley lines with caster levels between 1 and 20 range across the color spectrum as appropriate (starting with violet and continuing to blue, green, yellow, orange, and finally red). Divination magic such as contact other plane, divination, and commune can help narrow down the location of a ley line. Additionally, legend lore can help reveal information about a known ley line. Occult skill unlocks such as dowsing can also help detect the presence of ley lines over long distances, which can be quite useful in locating an accessible portion of a ley line.

Because of ley lines’ ability to pick up ambient energy, some local effects can cause portions of a ley line to become visible. For example, in areas of wild magic, an extant ley line may manifest as a shimmering river of rainbow-hued light constantly shifting through the color spectrum, while locations with a powerful presence of negative energy might cause a ley line to appear as a tendril of darkness that bleeds an ephemeral black smoke tinged with red light.

Ley lines do not generally move from location to location. While the exact paths they take may drift over the course of millennia or eons, these changes are largely unnoticed by all but the longest-lived races. As such, the discovery of a ley line can impact a region for millennia and draw attention from those seeking to exploit the ley line’s power. Civilizations that discover ley lines sometimes mark the locations in which their power is most easily accessible by erecting monuments such as menhir circles or obelisks. These sites are typically used to perform rituals or other functions that tap into the latent power of a ley line to enhance spellcasting. A powerful wizard might build his tower atop a particularly strong ley line, a druidic sect might construct a menhir circle nearest to where a ley line touches the ground, or an ancient dragon might build its mountaintop lair as close to a ley line in the sky as possible. Accurate maps and charts depicting the paths and intersections of ley lines are reliable for centuries or more and can reveal nodes of power across worlds and planes.

Using Ley Lines

Source Occult Adventures pg. 233
While a ley line can range from hundreds to thousands of miles long or more, most portions of a ley line are only faintly visible to powerful magic, and their power is inaccessible. However, spellcasters can tap into rare sites where the power of ley lines is concentrated, or where ley lines cross, to increase their power. These sites can be of any size, ranging from a tiny cave under a great mountain to an entire mountain range.

Most of the effects generated by a ley line’s accessible portions are passive and easy to miss. Planar energy, psychic impressions, and other collected powers bleed out into the land and influence the development of local life. A creature capable of casting spells or using spell-like abilities can attempt to tap into an accessible segment of a ley line within 100 feet. Doing so takes 1 hour per 2 caster levels of the ley line and requires a Spellcraft check with a DC equal to 20 + the ley line’s caster level. Success indicates the creature is attuned to the ley line and gains a +1 bonus to its effective caster level for all spells and spell-like abilities. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 caster levels of the ley line, to a maximum of +5. Depending on the nature of the ley line convergence, this bonus may apply only to certain spells and spell-like abilities. For instance, a ley line convergence atop a great volcano might apply its bonus only to spells and spell-like abilities with the fire descriptor. Hags or other creatures with the coven ability benefit from the bonus of ley line attunement so long as at least one member of the coven is attuned to the ley line and all coven members are within 10 feet of an attuned creature. Some ley lines also grant creatures attuned to them special abilities such as bonus spells, spell-like abilities, or other supernatural effects. Once a creature is attuned to a ley line, the bond is permanent unless dispelled. Dispel magic and similar effects can break a creature’s attunement to a ley line; the caster attempting to break the attunement must succeed at a caster level check with a DC equal to 11 + the caster level of the ley line. When an attuned creature is more than 100 feet from the ley line, it gains no benefit from the attunement, but the benefits return when it is once again in proximity.

Ley lines can become damaged over the course of time, whether by extreme magical forces or other monumental events. Damage in this manner can cause a supernatural bruise that bleeds out into the location surrounding a ley line. Harming or destroying ley lines is difficult, given their monumental size and power. Even the weakest of ley lines are impervious to most physical and magical attacks, though great forces can exert influence over them. Mage’s disjunction can potentially destroy a ley line, though this task requires the caster to succeed at a caster level check with a DC equal to 20 + the ley line’s caster level. Doing so immediately deals 2d6 points of damage per caster level of the ley line (no saving throw) to the caster. Additionally, all creatures attuned to the ley line and able to benefit from attunement take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per caster level of the ley line when it is destroyed. There is a 1% chance per caster level of the ley line that its destruction creates a permanent antimagic field with a radius of 100 feet per caster level of the destroyed ley line. Furthermore, the caster of mage’s disjunction who creates an antimagic field in this way must succeed at a DC 25 Will save or permanently lose all spellcasting abilities. These abilities cannot be recovered by mortal magic, not even via miracle or wish.

Mindscapes

Source Occult Adventures pg. 234
Mindscapes are temporary constructs of the mind that come into being on the Astral Plane and fade away again, in much the same way a sleeping person’s imagined landscape forms and dissolves while he is dreaming. The primary difference between a mindscape and a dream is one of intent; a creature often deliberately and precisely constructs a mindscape, while a dreamer typically does not. A mindscape can come into existence as a result of creatures engaging in a psychic duel, as well as through certain spells, magic items, rituals, and other occult phenomena. In theory, a mindscape can take on any form or appearance—and can possess any conceivable trait—in much the same way the various planes do. In practice, mindscapes often either appear mostly normal, or feature only one or two traits that stray from reality, and creatures’ psychic avatars manifesting within the mindscape might not be able to tell they’re no longer in the real world.

Two types of mindscape exist: binary mindscapes and immersive mindscapes. Binary mindscapes occur during psychic duels, when a creature with psychic powers draws another into a mental battle. Only two participants can occupy a binary mindscape. This cerebral combat arena does not totally engulf the participants’ senses; a creature engaged in a psychic duel within a binary mindscape can still perceive the real world, but is largely consumed in her psychic battle. In this case, the mindscape is a powerful image in the mind’s eye, perceived on an abstract level and capable of affecting the subject in the real world, detaching her from events in the real world but leaving her still capable of perceiving them.

Immersive mindscapes are far more tangible and realistic. In an immersive mindscape, a creature’s every sense perceives its imaginary surroundings completely, in effect replacing the body’s actual sensory perceptions.

While a creature’s consciousness is within a mindscape, that creature’s body in the real world can take no actions and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC, but it isn’t considered helpless, as the unconscious parts of the creature’s mind still provide resistance to the creature’s destruction. While in an immersive mindscape, the mind gets no information about what the body sees, hears, smells, or touches. Thus, if the body takes damage from an attack in the real world, the mind remains unaware of it. A binary mindscape, however, allows a creature to monitor its own condition in the real world.

Mental Masks

Creatures drawn into mindscapes don’t have to appear as themselves, and can instead assume alternate forms called mental masks. They can do so only if they know they’re in a mindscape or believe they’re in a dream (the creator of a mindscape almost always does). A mental mask allows a creature to hide its true identity, masking its true features from its enemies. Non-psychic creatures can’t assume a mental mask; they must appear in immersive mindscapes in their true forms.

Binary Mindscapes

Source Occult Adventures pg. 235
A binary mindscape is typically only a minimalist backdrop for a psychic battle—a ghostly image, like a stark memory, lacking detail and verisimilitude. It might manifest as a flat surface surrounded by fog or a featureless plain of grass on a cloudy day. Sometimes, a binary mindscape mimics a real-world locale the creator knows well, but even then, the details at the edges of vision are usually fuzzy and indistinct, and features that invoke lesser senses, such as smell and taste, are lacking. A binary mindscape has no effect on the psychic battle; it’s merely a mental construct used to assist the participants in visualizing their actions.

Creation and Control

Source Occult Adventures pg. 235
As explained in the Psychic Duels section, a binary mindscape is created when two psychic creatures enter a mental confrontation. Only creatures able to cast the instigate psychic duel spell can begin a psychic duel. Once a connection is established, the binary mindscape is created. Once within the mindscape, a creature can expend psychic energy to create mental hazards called manifestations to damage the other combatant or to reshape the mental landscape. Because the mindscape becomes a shared mental space after its creation, neither participant in the battle truly controls it, and they both have an equal ability to alter the environment once their minds are connected.

A binary mindscape is overt, finite, and harmful (see Mindscape Traits). Its other traits (such as gravity, time, and magic) are normal, with the exception of the special actions and limitations on spellcasting described in the Psychic Duels section.

Immersive Mindscapes

Source Occult Adventures pg. 235
An immersive mindscape is a less common, but far more powerful, variety of mindscape. When created, it seems every bit as palpable and vivid as the real world. A being within an immersive mindscape can see the land, feel the breeze, hear the falling rain, smell the sea, and even experience hunger and thirst. In some cases, creatures within an immersive mindscape don’t even realize that’s where they are. A target that’s fooled into believing such a mindscape is real wastes away in the physical world while living a full life in the mindscape.

An immersive mindscape can be sculpted in much more detail than a binary mindscape, and its traits vary. The creator dictates the traits of an immersive mindscape, and visitors are subject to whatever strictures the host is able to place upon the mindscape. The construction of the mindscape might be carefully designed, or might be a more instinctive expression drawn from the creator’s own desires or intentions (whether conscious or subconscious). Some spells allow the creator to use a target’s memories or desires when creating the mindscape to better fool the target.

Mindscape Traits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 235
Each mindscape has a set of specific traits that dictate its appearance and behavior, just as the planes do. These traits supersede the normal planar traits of the Astral Plane. Often these traits mimic those of the Material Plane, for that is what the beings within a mindscape typically find most familiar and comfortable. A creature’s mental avatar has the same physical characteristics in the mindscape that the creature does in real life (the same AC, hit points, ability scores, and so on). Weapons and armor, even magical ones, function inside the mindscape.

Every mindscape is considered sentient, but instead of changing according to its own will, it responds to the will of those inside it. Typically, the creature that created the mindscape controls its traits. Depending on her level of expertise, the creator can alter one or more of the traits of the mindscape to suit her purposes. The psychic duel rules and some spells allow other creatures to alter mindscapes, but usually only if they’re aware they’re within one.

Transparency

Source Occult Adventures pg. 236
A mindscape’s creator typically knows when she is within her own mindscape, but other creatures might not, depending on the type of mindscape.

Overt: Overt mindscapes are obvious to anyone drawn into them. This might be because the individual deliberately hosts and invites others, or because targets know they’re being psychically attacked and caught in the mindscape, and therefore understand what has happened to them. When a creature knows it is in a mindscape, it can exit more easily (using the mindscape door spell), but this knowledge makes the immersive mindscape no less real to it. It can still be affected by the mindscape, and can still take damage or gain conditions from a harmful mindscape (see Feedback below). Binary mindscapes are always overt.

Veiled: The veiled immersive mindscape is the most insidious type. Its triggering mechanisms are designed to fool the target, trapping the creature in such a fashion that it doesn’t realize its reality is a product of its or another’s mind. The creator’s memories provide the basis for the mindscape, and any place or phenomenon she hasn’t experienced might be hard to replicate convincingly using only her imagination.

Psychic mindscape traps and spells often include a seamless transition from the real world to the mindscape in order to maintain the veil. For example, a chest trapped with a veiled immersive mindscape might trigger a visual and tactile continuation of the current situation, making the thief believe she still kneels before the container in the chamber where she found it. If the effect is done well and is powerful enough, the thief might live out several hours, days, or weeks of her life trapped in her own mind, while her body remains slumped before the chest, slowly dying from lack of food and water.

Shape and Size Traits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 236
When the mindscape is manifested, the creator decides on the shape and size of the mental locale. Each of the following categories is possible.

Finite: A finite mindscape has clearly discernible boundaries and limits to its space. Either there is no way to move beyond those boundaries, or there is simply nothingness beyond them. A finite mindscape might be a cavity within an endless expanse of stone, or it could be the interior of a cottage with nothing beyond the doors and windows but blackness and oblivion. Binary mindscapes are always finite.

Infinite: A mindscape of this shape and size stretches on forever, or at least those within it perceive it as such for all practical purposes. This might result in an endless void in three dimensions, perfectly flat ground that stretches as far as the eye can see, or an endless ocean. Individual objects within the mindscape might be defined by their limits, such as a building sitting in the middle of an endless plain, or a series of floating chunks of rock within the void.

Self-Contained Shape: A mindscape exhibiting this physical trait might seem to go on forever, but its spatial relations actually fold back upon themselves, no matter which direction creatures within it travel. Such a mindscape might consist of an staircase that is somehow a loop, a winding tunnel that appears straight but starts and ends in the same place, or a tesseract where exiting on one side of the cube always returns the traveler to the opposite side. A self-contained medieval keep, for example, might allow travelers to exit the front gate only to find themselves reentering by the rear portal.

Feedback

Source Occult Adventures pg. 236
Though they’re mental constructs, mindscapes can sometimes cause physiological effects through mental feedback. A creator with exceptional psychic power might be able to create a mindscape that is harmless for her but harmful for all other inhabitants, but most mindscapes affect everyone in the same way.

Harmful: Injuries and conditions inflicted upon individuals visiting a harmful mindscape are real. Any psychic attacks harm the body by convincing the brain that the damage is real. Binary mindscapes are always harmful.

Harmless: Occupants of a harmless mindscape still feel the sensation of the environment or other creatures harming them, but injuries and conditions are not real— they cause no physical harm to the host’s body. A creature that dies in a harmless mindscape wakes up none the worse for wear.

Gravity Traits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 237
The creator or controller of a mindscape determines whether gravity exists in that mindscape, and if it does, how strongly it exerts its pull.

Normal Gravity: Gravity functions just as it does on the Material Plane.

Light Gravity: Gravity’s effect is reduced, and creatures can jump, fly, and lift heavy objects with less effort.

Heavy Gravity: Gravity’s effect is increased, and creatures find that jumping, flying, and lifting objects require more exertion.

No Gravity: Gravity does not exist, and objects float in space wherever they are in relation to one another, unless they’re set in motion by someone, in which case they travel in a straight line at a constant rate of speed until they collide with another object or a creature somehow changes their motion.

Subjective Gravity: Gravity functions however each individual wishes it, relative to that individual. Thus, if one creature stands on the floor of a parlor, while another envisions the ceiling of that same room as being “down” and stands upon that surface, each would experience gravity differently and see the other as “overhead” and “upside down.”

Time Traits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 237
Controlling time within a mindscape is difficult. In most cases, time flows at a one-for-one ratio with the passage of time in the real world. Only a powerful psychic individual can alter the flow of time in a mindscape.

Normal Time: Time flows normally.

Slow Time: In certain cases, the creator of a mindscape might wish to cause time to slow down, forcing those within the mindscape to spend more real-world time engaged in activities within the mindscape. When this happens, 1 round within the mindscape takes 2 or more real-world rounds to complete.

Rapid Time: In other instances, a mindscape’s creator might desire to cause time to move faster within the mindscape than in the real world. In this instance, 2 or more rounds of activity within the mindscape could be completed while only 1 round passes in the real world. A controller could thus spend a great deal of time contemplating a complex mental puzzle, then emerge from the mindscape to rejoin her allies having lost no true time at all.

Alignment Traits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 237
Some mindscapes exhibit a palpable resonance that reflects the creator’s alignment. This might be intentional or unintentional. Most mindscapes aren’t aligned.

Mildly Aligned: A mildly aligned mindscape results in very subtle effects that might or might not be noticed by its inhabitants. In such cases, the evidence might manifest as an orderly garden for a lawful creature or a serene bit of countryside with ideal weather for a good-aligned being.

Strongly Aligned: A mindscape influenced by a strong alignment almost always exhibits noticeable characteristics. The atmosphere alone might cause discomfort for or even damage beings of a diametrically opposed alignment. A creator who wishes to create a strongly aligned mindscape might find it difficult to keep victims from noticing these features. The creeping alignment influence can give a clue to those trapped within that all is not as it seems.

Magic Traits

Source Occult Adventures pg. 237
Magic—particularly psychic magic—behaves in odd ways within a mindscape. In addition to the options below, see the Psychic Duels section for further discussion on how magic works in binary mindscapes during psychic duels.

Normal Magic: In an immersive mindscape where magic behaves normally, characters and creatures can use spells, spell-like abilities, and magic items as they normally would. Spells are consumed and charges or consumables are spent. Damage dealt by magic is real, and the real-world body suffers accordingly if the mindscape is harmful. However, any magic that requires physical manipulation (such as drinking a potion) might not behave in the expected manner (the character could “drink” the potion and discover that nothing happens). Some divination magic might provide strange or nonsensical information if it is providing details on what is going on in the real world while the caster’s mind believes it is elsewhere. When a creature emerges from a mindscape, any magic it used while within has been consumed.

Dead Magic: Magic might not work at all within a mindscape. The effort to summon and manipulate the energies required to set off the magic can be blocked, prevented from reaching through the psychic barrier of the creature or thing that created the mindscape. In such cases, the mindscape may or may not create false-positive results in an attempt to fool those trapped within (for example, making healing magic seem to work when it actually doesn’t function). Whatever results occur within the mindscape, creatures emerge without having expended any magic. The sole exception is that psychic spells specifically designed to manipulate a mindscape work even in mindscapes with dead magic, and are expended normally.

Altered Magic: Magic might behave very differently within a mindscape—use the rules for the enhanced, impeded, limited, or wild planar magic traits.

Archives of Nethys